The 49th edition of the CEBA international badminton tournament begins this weekend in Strasbourg, hosting nearly 630 matches across three venues.
Competition will take place at the Gymnase Herrade, the Gymnase Karine C in Hautepierre, and the Hall AGR at the salle Jeanne d’Arc in the Wacken district.
The CEBA (Club Élite Badminton Alsace) has organized four of the five standard elite disciplines for the two-day event. Organizers canceled the mixed doubles category due to insufficient registration numbers. Despite the cancellation, the committee anticipates a high level of play throughout the weekend.
“It’s very positive, we have potentially players from the French top 100, these are quite high-level draws,” said Benjamin Seiler, a member of the organizing committee, as reported by DNA.fr. The tournament relies on the support of approximately 30 volunteers to manage the logistics for the 330 participating athletes.
The women’s singles draw features Ranithma Liyanage, a 19-year-old representing ASPTT Strasbourg. Currently ranked 91st in the world, Liyanage enters the tournament as the heavy favorite to claim the title on Saturday evening.
In the women’s doubles, Lilou Schaffner of ASPTT Strasbourg and Eulalie Serre, who competes for CBC Caen in the Nationale 1 league, lead the projections. The men’s doubles draw remains more open, though Émilien Morin of Village-Neuf and Louis Morin of Kembs are considered the pair to beat in a field described by organizers as highly competitive.
While most categories conclude on Saturday night, the men’s singles final is scheduled for Sunday at the Gymnase Herrade. The draw features two primary seeds: Émilien Morin and Robinson Coube, a competitor from the Strasbourg university center coached by Julien Fuchs.
Local eyes will be on Paul Massias, a Strasbourg native also coached by Fuchs at ASPTT. Massias enters the final rounds as an outsider, aiming to capitalize on home-court advantage to disrupt the seeded players.
The event is spread across three distinct locations to accommodate the volume of matches. The collaboration with the Hautepierre club has been essential for securing the necessary court space to facilitate the 630-match schedule.
The tournament concludes on Sunday, at which point all category winners will be confirmed. Results from the final matches will be available through the official CEBA channels.
